Springfield daily republic. [volume] (Springfield, O. [Ohio]) 1887-1888, 1887-09-29
SUFFERERS SCHOOL.
HOW THE HABIT OF STAMMERING
is OFTEN ACQUIRED.

Scenes In the Office of Man Who Make
Hating speech Hum Smoothly-Im
pedim-nis of Speech Of y Nervou
Character.
"Young man. how did YOU acquire th
habit Of stuttering,' Il u-u-used {
MN mock man. When he d-d-,lied
took his place, The question was by tn
professor Of vocal institute, and III
answer by young man who had just m
nounced his intention of taking series q
lessons. \ reporter was present. and 81,
ting around the room Were several intell
gent looking young men, the most of WHOM
could speak as luently as any one. Al
declared that they had until recently bee
most invetcrate sufferers or stammcrers
The doctors question suggested an inter
esting train of thought. The reporter pu
the same question to each Of the patient
in turn. When | was about 6 years a
age said number one. Il commenced I
stutter little. Then we moved To
strange place and ! went 10 school
was very diifident. and the teacher at
tempted To force me to read and recite
The scholars laughed at me, becam
more diflident and soon tie habit wa
fixed on me"
II am his brother" said number two
- learned il of him"
when | was young" said numbc
three, Il used 10 play all the time will
another boy who was "A horrible stutterer
and learned it of him. Whenever | wa
out with the boys and didn't think Of i
l would sometimes find myself talking al
right. but As soon rs | thought about it
would commence again. My little brother
aiierward learned i; of me-
Number four said he learned the habi
from another boy, but would have con
Quered il had not his teacher forced hin
to .ead and recite, at which times he be
came SO nervous rs to lose all control O
himself. All had acquired the habit Al
the age of q or :.
OF A NERVOUS NATURE
THAT accords with the most Of my ex
perience,' said the doctor; these impedi
ments Of speech are for the most part Of {
nervous nature. Lack Of will power, tn,
telegraphic system of the body ont O
order. imperfect connection between tn,
brain and muscles of speech. All thi.
trouble sometimes arises from sudder
fright. One patient Of mine, a young
lady, was slightly seized with stammerinl
at the time of the great fire. AfterwarJ
she saw a COW catch a little child On its
horns. She was paralyZed with fright
unable 10 scream or move. The animal
tossed the child into the air. She rushed
10 the spot and the child was fatally in.
jured. After that the lady was bad case
Of confirmed stammering.
"Ope Of the worst cases ever had Wa
that Of a young man. When he was a
boy Of U or . years Of age his father
threatened, if he committed u certain Of.
fense. TO throw him into the well. The
boy committed the oifense. and his father
held him for a moment over the we'll head
downward. From that time on the boy
could not talk plainly. Many children
acquire this malady in infancy, just as
they are beginning 10 talk. Their parents
or nurses tickle them, sometimes on the
bottoms Of the feet, thinking the loud
laughter thus excited amusing. The pa
papa which the little ones cry out At such
times IS the first inception Of the habit Of
The doctor is jolly fellow, Of fine ply
sique and great personal magnetism, with
the voice and laugh Of hon. if a lion can
he imagined rs laughing. In training his
class he commences, i'll the most natural
way in the world. 10 talk Of all sorts of in
subjects. and scon an infection of
good feeling seizeS all present. He roars
out his words with such force and fiuency
from the depths Of his immense lungs that
talking seems the easiest thing in the
world. Occasionally n remark is ad-
dressed to some member Of the class in q
sort Of way, and before
they know it everybody seems to be able
To talk. Occasionally he goes the rounds
Of the class with various vocal exercises
for the development of certain muscles.
SOME OF THE EXERCISES.
Here are few Of the exercises. Some
ministers and actors would do well to
practice them:
Amos Ames, the amiable aeronaut,
aided in an aerial enterprise at the age
of S.
Obtain all opportunities Of obliterat-
ing obnoxious ostentations
Henry bingham has hung his harp On
The hook where he hitherto hung his
hopes" What nut for a Cockney to
crack.
II like white vinegar with veal very
we'll"
she sells sea shells. Shall he sell sea
.hclls."
''QuiXo'e Quixite quizZed queerish
luidD"x. Where is the queerish quidbox
IluiN"te QuiNite quizzed;"
When the pupils can recite these SEN
fences and a hundred or 50 similar ones
'iuenily they are graduated.
y clear cut, elegant ami fluent utter
ince is one Of the greatest graces with
which person can be gifted. Ii tells al
most the whole story of ones birth. early
raining and associations. The different
kinds OF faulty elocutiOn are known rs
staminering, heSitancv, lisp
NJ, exhausted breath, nasal sound and
articulation. Many people fall
inder 50 complete a list rs this, who in
'ome instances could improve their utter
'nce by Il little private Practice and atten-
ion 10 the matter. \ stuttcrer has the
most difficulty iii uttering lingual sounds,
uch as words beginning with l.. while the
tammerer stuInbles over the labial
ounds, of which words beginning with B
ire an example Both habits are accom-
'anied with facial distortion, and some
imeS with wri;hing or twitching of the
whole body. That these are neI rors af-
ections is shown by the devices rescrted
o To get over some difficult letter or
ound, as swapping the finger or stamping
he foot. Il shut m-m-rny fist tight"
aid stammerer, and the electricity
uns up my arm and lets the sound
-c-come out" At the letter c lie drove
lis finger nails clear into the palm Of his
Herald.